


Wayfarer

by VenyWrites



Series: Wayfarer [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-12-04 10:10:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11552997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VenyWrites/pseuds/VenyWrites
Summary: Long time commuter (Reader) enjoys the presence of a newcomer in her commuting routine.





	1. The Stranger

**Author's Note:**

> I was listening to one of my favorite songs (Jueves by La Oreja de Van Gogh, you can look for the translated lyrics in Google) and got inspired for this. This will be a log series with short chapters.

It’s been almost 2 weeks.

Wait, let me start over. I’ve been taking the train to work for about 3 years now. Always at the same times so I can recognize a lot of faces. It’s been almost 2 weeks since this new guy has taken the train at the same times as me.

The first time I saw him, I wasn’t even on my regular schedule. I had an emergency at home and ran late by about an hour. He was there looking tired and distracted. I thought it was the universe apologizing to me for a difficult morning with a lovely sight before work. Three day after, I saw him again. He was there when I got on my train to work at my usual time, and that’s when I’ve seen him since.

After a couple of days, he started smiling at me every time he saw me get on. Never talking though, just a lazy half smile, then his gaze would drift out the window. Half the time, I don’t even think he’s smiling at me specifically, that he’s only subconsciously giving a polite look to not seem rude. But the other half of the time… I dream.

I’m reaching the platform and I can feel myself growing nervous for this mysterious stranger I’d never seen outside of the confines of the train. My stomach is in a frenzy of butterflies and my palms are starting to feel clammy against the tips of my fingers.

I’m on the tiled floor, behind the yellow line. It’s fairly empty any time before 7 am, so I move towards one of the pillars at the center, and check my watch nonchalantly. _The train will be here any minute._ I take deep breaths to calm myself down.

A couple of minutes later, I can hear the familiar screeching of metal against metal, as the train closes to the stop. Trying to shrug of any nervousness that might be showing, I wipe my palms against the fabric of my pants and hold my bag close against me. As the doors open and the people pour out, I inhale and hold my breath. As I cross the threshold, I can see him at his usual seat. 

It’s funny, he always chooses this car, and that same seat. It’d be a bit weird, if I hadn’t been doing the same thing this entire time too. It’s always the same car, and whenever possible I choose the same middle seat. Today though, my seat is occupied and the only space available within enough time to not be standing when the train moves again is on the seat behind him.

I move quickly. He barely even glances up, but he’s already throwing his tired smile and lazy eyes. He sits by the window with his arm resting on the frame, and his head against the glass. I’m close enough to see his figure moving slowly to his breathing, and his gentle sways with each turn the train makes.

I’m almost to my stop, and the mysterious guy in front of me doesn’t seem as tired anymore. But after about an hour and a half of commute, you’d find a way to wake up too. I gather my things, as I prepare to  hop off. We’re almost to the stop, so I stand up in my seat and put my hand on the backrest of his seat, and too late do I realize that I’m touching his back in the process.

I feel him starting to turn around so I move to the doors, and as soon as they open, I walk out.


	2. The Seat

A week has gone by since our close contact. From that day, I’ve started noticing that sometimes he brings a drink with him in the morning commute. He doesn’t seem as tired, but he does still wears those wonderfully sleepy baby blue eyes.

On this particular morning, he’s not already in the train when I get on. I guess it’s become second nature for me to look for him now. It’s not that weird for him not to take the train, it’s happened before on a handful of occasions. My guess is that he just woke up earlier and we took different trains.

I pick my seat in my usual area. I do miss the half smile and sleepy yawning at the glass, but I don’t think much of it. He’s probably a busy man with important meetings to go to.

I sometimes like to imagine that he’s a blue collar worker, when he’s wearing his jeans, t-shirt, and sneakers. But then I see him working a dress shirt and dress shoes, and a nice suit and my mind wonders if he’s maybe the CEO of some company, although I don’t dwell on that too much because why would a CEO take the train if he probably has private transportation.

This is becoming a busy morning. With each passing stop, the train gets a little fuller. Three stops later, there’s only 3 available seats from where I can see. One right next to me, one near the door in front of me, and another one in the far corner of the car.

The doors open and the familiar face walks in. He looks around, searching the area for a place to sit. At first, I think it’s because of me, but the more I think about it, the less confident I feel in my argument. I see him walking towards me, or logically, to the space next to me.

Logically, it’s the closest space to the door he just came in through. Logically, he could’ve stood, but his journey is longer than mine. Logically, I have to stop torturing myself about this. There’s no way he even realizes what is going through my head, so I’m better off just ignoring everything I’m making up about him.

I’m looking down at my lap where my hands sit, fidgeting with the ring I keep on my middle finger. I try to keep as still as possible, maybe if I don’t move, he won’t realize I’m here thinking about him.

He plopped himself down with an oomph. He smelled of coffee and vanilla, and just a hint of cologne. He took a deep breath and threw his head back, stretching his neck before he got himself comfortable in his seat.

Of all the ways this day could’ve gone, I was not expecting this. Under normal circumstances, I would’ve already gotten my phone out to drown out my surrounding, but I did not want to do that today. What if he talks to me? I mean, I wouldn’t be able to hold any conversations because I know I’m too much of a coward, but what if?

I can feel his eyes on me, so I slowly turn to face him. He doesn’t look tired today. Not even sleepy. He beams a big smile at me, I shoot a quick smirk, and look away, holding back a smile the whole way to work.

Up close, he is even bigger than he seems. He’s tall and bulky, but not like a bodybuilder. More like a professional athlete. His arm was bumping into mine the whole ride, and I have to admit that I liked it more than I showed.

I’m at my stop, and unlike last time, I don’t get up until the absolute last minute, which is when the train is starting to slow down. I always try to brace myself for the whiplash that comes with full stop. But I somehow always manage to at the very least stumble, but I never fall. The lady next to me seemed to have a harder time than me, and she bumped into me. I had no momentum, and when she stumbled, I stumbled too.

I found myself leaning very close to Mystery Guy, with a hand on the backrest behind him. My knees found themselves between him, and my face was barely centimeters from his.

His hand was on my waist holding me in place, “are you alright?” Worry and sympathy plagued his eyes, and a sweet smile danced on his lips.

“Yes, thank you. Sorry.” I found myself blushing hard. I straightened myself up. That was embarrassing enough for a whole month.

I heard him chuckle lightly and tell me it’s no problem. I made my way out of the train car wondering how much crazier can a day get.


	3. The Chat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long, I've been busy with finishing my degree and other works. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Since the Awkward Thing happened about 4 days ago, it's like he can see me. Before, I was just another face in the crowd. Now, he actively says hi to me, sits as near to me as he can, and he’ll even throw me a breathtaking smile while he's at it. I'd be overwhelmed if I didn't already have a platonic –and somewhat ridiculous– crush on him.  

Today was one of those odd spring days. Gloomy and humid, with no space between the angry, dark clouds to even get a glimpse of the sky. I kept my umbrella clutched close to me, and when the sound of heavy rain fall got closer, I shied away to the side of a building to protect myself while I got the umbrella opened. Unfortunately, the small protection it brought me could not compete with the strong winds that got my legs and shoes positively drenched. 

When I stepped through the threshold of the nearly empty train car, he was sitting between two seats. He looked up as soon as the doors opened, and when he saw me, he waves at me to come over. Panic built up in my stomach as I walked to him with a tiny smile dancing on my lips, uncomfortably wet and cold feet shivering under me. 

"Hey, good morning" He slid towards one of the seats, leaving the spot next to him empty to me. "Crazy weather we're having today, right?" He pat the seat and offered to take my umbrella from me.  

"Yeah, tell me about it" I sat and said with a small chuckle. I raised my legs off the floor and directed towards them with my open palms.  

"Oh, let me help you with that" he reached under his seat for a bag I didn't notice earlier, and pulled out a small towel. "I always keep a spare towel in my gym bag." He handed it to me, and it's warmness against my cold hands gives me goosebumps. 

"Thank you" I say, half surprised. I place the towel in my lap, while I put my bag right behind me in my seat. I scooted forward and stole a glimpse at him. He was looking at me in wonder, or I think it's wonder. "So you're on your way to the gym?"

"What? Oh yeah, something like that" I shot my eyebrows up, but said nothing. Then proceeded to dry my legs with his really warm and ridiculously soft towel. "So, I don't mean to sound creepy or anything, but I noticed you a couple of days ago reading Agatha Christie"

I almost froze in my tracks, but I wanted to know where this was going "Did you?"

"Yeah, I love her books, specially the Miss Marple collections" He proceeded almost in the same breath. If I didn't know any better I'd say he was excited, maybe nervous. Or maybe none of the above, and my mind is playing tricks on me again. It wouldn't be the first time it does in relation to this man.

"Really? We'll I only just started reading her books, and that was the first one I picked up. I still haven't finished it," there was an unmistakable gleam in his eye, that was definitely excitement.

"It was Murder on the Orient Express right?" I nodded and gathered the, now, humid towel in my hands "You're going to like it a lot, if mysteries are your thing." I folded the towel and gave it back to him.

"Thank you, for the towel. I'd like to say that mysteries are my thing. I enjoy them a lot. When I was a kid, I used to love Nancy Drew" He chuckled under his breath.

"I don't think I ever told anyone, but me too!" We laughed together and talked about our favorite Nancy Drew stories.

    We kept talking for the most part of our long train ride. I almost didn't notice that we were reaching my stop, and I cursed myself mentally. Why couldn't I spend the whole day here, talking to this amazing stranger that loves books just as much as me? This was the longest I've spent talking to a stranger without feeling awkward or forced.

    I almost didn't get up. I almost forced myself to skip on this one day, called in sick or declared a fake emergency to not have to leave this train right now. Then I considered, why would he want to spend his day with me? What if he's got something important to do, and I'd waste my work day because he wouldn't spend it with me? What if he's got a girlfriend? What if he's married? We haven't been anything but friendly, but I know nothing of this man, to be creating stories in my head about us. 

I start gathering my things again, and ready to leave. The train starts screeching to a halt. "Well, it's been nice chatting with you..." I extend my hand towards him as I stand up.

"Steve, my name is Steve" He stands in front of me barely a feet away from me, and envelops his hand in mine.

"Nice to meet you Steve. I better get going, I don't think the weather has calmed down since earlier." I hear the doors open, and release my hand from his. As I reach the threshold I turn around and wave at him with a small smile dancing in my lips. 

    He smiles and waves back. The beeping goes off as the doors close again, and it's like he wakes up from a dream. He looks at me through the glass window and mouths something I don't understand. Confusion spreads across my face and I tilt my head to the side. The train starts moving and he's trying one more time. He's gone with the train and I was only able to catch one word: name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please rememeber to leave kudos, comments, and to share if you like it!


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